Confidence
by Mikael-Macbeth
Summary: [ONESHOT] When Demyx is assigned to go on a mission with Xigbar, he learns that confidence can come from the most unexpected places... [XigXDem, slight language and violence, fluff]


**AN: I LIIIIIIVE!!! ...Even though that's still in question...**

**Well, after not being here for FORVER, I've finally decided to grace this site with a few more works. That Axel X Roxas will NEVER BE because of all that new footage in FM+... I'd have to change over HALF the material. So... screw that one. DX**

**So, settle for this Xigbar X Demyx fic!! I know, SO not canon, but this pairing just WORKS. REALLY. So... enjoy!! Read, and feel free to review. Flames will be shot by Xigbar... even though I'm pretty sure you can't shoot a flame. Eh, Xig'll figure out how. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xigbar, or Demyx, or any other characters mentioned from Kingdom Hearts or Disney. They belong to their respectful owners... T.T**

**

* * *

**

**Confidence**

**By Eden**

The dirty-blond sighed, twisting a strand of hair in-between his fingers in a schoolgirl-fashion as The Superior made his closing statements about such-and-such that he, honestly, didn't care about.

As Number Nine, it wasn't as if his role was all that significant to their situation; he wasn't dominating like Xemnas, he wasn't as smart as Vexen, or as tough as Xaldin, or as ruthless as Zexion. He couldn't keep his thoughts to himself like Lexaeus could, he wasn't as amazingly keen and sharp (not to mention confident) as Xigbar, or give the best ideas like Saïx. Axel had a killer instinct (don't forget that killer sense of humor) and Luxord held the fearless gentleman stance. Marluxia had power, Larxene had cunning, and Roxas practically held their destinies in his hands.

They were all amazing. Every one of them...

He sighed heavily and kicked his legs as they dangled over the gigantic marble-white throne.

Demyx reflected on himself seldom, but when he did, it was so damn analytical it made him want to gag.

To be completely honest, he was a klutz, he held the paranoia of the last man on Earth, and he couldn't defend himself even if his own skin was about to be ripped off.

Again and again, he told himself he had good qualities, and he had even tried to list them once. That was ONE thing he was good at. He could write and make lists. Neat ones, too. But when he thought to make yet another list, the page had remained blank of any of HIS qualities.

Instead, he began to write at least one nice thing for everyone else.

Well... for one in particular, he thought up an entire LIST all its own, which he had decidedly carried with him everywhere since its writing.

But, for the time being, he kept it to himself. That's what he HAD to do. Sharing of feelings and thoughts immediately earned you the "you have no heart and emotions" spiel.

Demyx KNEW, despite how many times he had been told otherwise, that he had a heart in him, beating and pulsating, alive and yearning to be set free.

If only he could...

"Number Nine, your input...?" came Xemnas's booming voice like a thunder-clap through his thoughts.

"Oh, uhhh, well, it goes without saying!" Demyx chirped up, trying to keep his head above troubled waters.

Xemnas smiled, probably pleased at no complaints, then addressed Xigbar by saying, "Then you two will be assigned to Wonderland for a Heartless extermination. Leave immediately."

At that, The Superior vanished, followed by everyone else except for Number Two and Nine.

A mission... with the Freeshooter?

Demyx felt something tighten in his chest-- was it fear? Joy? Excitement...?

Or was it just that he was about to throw up...?

"Alright, now listen up. Just don't get in my way, lil' dude, and we'll be on good terms..."

Demyx looked up to see that the Freeshooter had teleported above his head and was dangling lazily in the air, his ponytail swaying mere inches from Demyx's nose.

"I-- I won't!" The Melodious Nocturne persisted, staring up into that single yellow eye with as much defiance as he could.

But the Freeshooter only smirked back, just as equally defiant.

"I don't exactly work well with kids, mm-kay? So, why don't we just go and you let me deal with those Heartless?"

Demyx kept staring, but eventually broke his glare.

"Fine. Let's go..."

Xigbar disappeared into the black bloom that would take him to the Corridors of Darkness, and Demyx shortly followed.

As they walked (even though it didn't really FEEL like walking) Demyx thought about his lists, and how one was labeled "Fears and Weakneses," spelled like that, with one "s" missing. (He hadn't felt like marking out the word to correct it. He had managed to write it in such a lovely shorthand style, and he couldn't bare the thought of it being ruined.)

He recalled that the Corridors of Darkness was one of his fears. A pretty big one, actually. He HATED the dark. It was just so... DARK.

Demyx kept unintentionally close to Xigbar, and even thought to reach out and grab his arm for comfort. Two smelled oddly like almonds and gunpowder.

Dying was another pretty big one, even though he wasn't even sure that Nobodies necessarily DIED. Pain was another, even though he had never TRIED anything beyond accidentally stubbing his toe.

Then he had miscellaneous fears, like falling, breaking an ankle, sitar-strings snapping, everyone around him dying, a Gummi Ship falling out of the sky and crash-landing into The Castle The Never Was; the usual fears, only amplified by ten-point-two million.

"Okay, lil' dude, you're gettin' a LITTLE too close..."

Demyx blinked as he noticed his thoughts of holding onto Two had become a reality; he had his arm clutched in a death-grip.

"Oops, uhm, sorry..." Nine apologized, releasing Xigbar's arm.

"Well, we're here anyway. Just back off a bit, okay?"

The tunnel opened up into a small yard decorated with a table littered with shattered tea-cups, scattered dishes, and broken chairs. It looked as if someone had just had one Hell of a tea-party.

"Do you think it was Heartless...?" Demyx asked, scanning over the wreckage with a touch of fascination.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure those guys aren't exactly into tea," the Freeshooter answered, kicking at a stray table-leg.

"Do I hear GUEEEESTS...?" came a goofy voice from under the table.

Up popped a short man in a green felt top-hat and a brown rabbit in a red coat. Both looked like total loons escaped straight from the loony-bin.

"Why, we were just about ready to have a nice spot of teeeea!" The rabbit cooed, grabbing up a partially-broken tea pot and pouring what little tea left in it into a saucer and taking a sip.

"Look, we were just passing through and we--" Demyx began.

"Lil' dude, lemme handle it," Xigbar murmured to Demyx, then turned his attention to the rabbit and the man. "Hey, listen up, we just came here to beat up some--"

But Two was interrupted by the rabbit, who tugged him into a not-so-broken-but-still-broken chair.

"NONSENSE!! You MUST stay for tea! It would be rude of you not to!"

"Yes, yes, TEA!!" The man echoed, pulling Demyx into a chair beside Xigbar. It was MUCH more broken than Xigbar's.

As the two frantically raced around gathering up the shattered cup-pieces, Xigbar tried to get their attention.

"HEY, I'm serious, we only came here for--"

"TEEEEA!!" yelled the rabbit, who slammed a cup in front of Demyx.

"Why, thank you!" Demyx giggled, picking up the cup gingerly and taking a sip. Actually, it was pretty good, to his astonishment. He'd have to add that to the "Good-Tasting-Things" list, along with strawberries and fresh almonds.

"Look, I'm not gonna say this again, WE ONLY CAME TO--"

But the short man had already shoved a cup into Xigbar's face.

"Drink it; it's GOOOD for you!!"

"Really, Xigbar, it IS good!" Demyx piped up.

Suddenly there came a laser-shot sound beside Demyx, and looking over, he saw that the tea and cup had been vaporized by one of Two's katar-guns.

The two loons stared disbelievingly at what was left of the vapor-dust of the cup and tea.

"THAT'S better. NOW down to business," Xigbar mused confidently, waving his gun at the paralyzed man and rabbit. He then did a little gun-twirl and the katar-gun disappeared in black vines that snaked around his hand.

Xigbar stood up from his seat, and Demyx followed obediently, setting his cup on the table. Now that Xigbar had their attention, HE was in control. When Two had the stage, it would belong to no one else.

"We just came by to see if you've been having any pest-problems...? Any big black bugs crawling around with glowing yellow eyes and wiggly lil' antennas?"

"'Antennae,'" Demyx corrected.

"Whatever. Point is, you got big-bad-bug-issues, and we're the big-bad-bug-exterminators."

The rabbit calmed down enough to nod.

"Come to think of it," the short man interjected, gaining a bit of courage too, "they came around quite a while ago. Then this kid with a HUUUGE key came by and destroyed them all. But ever since he left, they've come swarming back, little-by-little."

Demyx looked over to Xigbar fleetingly. The two shared an understanding.

That must've meant the that Keyblade-master Sora went through here.

Roxas's "other."

While there was a pause in the conversation, Demyx jumped in and stole the Freeshooter's spotlight.

"So, if you could just point us in the right direction, we'll be on our way."

Now the rabbit had gotten his guts back.

"Depends on where you wanna go. Go up, you'll find 'em, go down, you'll find 'em, right-to-left, side-to-side, under-and-through, those things can go, so-you-know."

"Nocturne, we're OBVIOUSLY not gonna find the info we need. Let's get goin'."

Demyx followed suit as Xigbar made his way onto the beginning of a path into a large forest.

"Come back for tea whenever you like!!" called the short man after them.

"Okay!! We will!" Demyx answered in a chipper voice, waving back to the two now-distant figures.

"Yeah, as if," grumbled Two.

The two entered the ever-darkening woods.

Demyx looked around, again unconsciously getting closer to Xigbar.

Woods. Yet another fear that topped the list. Who KNEW what was waiting in the woods to gobble him up and pick the bones clean of his skin and other bodily fluids and/or organs? Most likely lions... or tigers... or bears--

Suddenly, the underbrush shook violently.

"OH MY GOD, IT'S A LION OR A TIGER OR A BEAR AND IT'S GONNA EEEAT UUUS!!" Demyx screamed, in full-on panic-mode.

Katar-guns appeared in Xigbar's hands, with which he shot a rain of red projectiles at the bushes.

With each shot, a heart flew up from the brush and disappeared into the sky.

Finally, the rain ended and Xigbar sighed, looking over to the cowering Demyx.

"Lil' dude, it was JUST a bunch of Heartless. And really, why are you acting all scared? You're a NOBODY. I'm pretty sure that even YOU'D beat a lion in a cage-match."

Demyx pouted.

"And what does THAT mean...?"

"C'mon, it's a compliment! Just sayin' I got confidence in ya."

Two continued on deeper into the woods, but Nine stood rooted to his spot.

"Confidence...? In ME..?" Demyx said to himself in barely an audible whisper.

Was he on the MOON or something? Xigbar, THE Freeshooter, just said he had confidence in HIM, the dunce, the klutz, the would-be-picked-last-for-gym kid.

Yes, he HAD to be on the moon.

"C'mon, Nocturne, get a move-on!"

He started at Xigbar's voice, and suddenly he wasn't on the moon

anymore, but in a dark creepy forest that did nothing but get darker and creepier by the second.

"C--Coming!"

Demyx caught up to Two and thought again of taking hold of his arm but quickly dismissed the thought. He had commented him, not said he liked him at all.

Not that Nobodies COULD like...

At least, that's what The Superior said was the truth. That's what had become the shared idea of everyone in the Organization.

But Demyx felt otherwise-- he KNEW there had to be something there... something that made him feel so--

The Freeshooter had stopped in his tracks, causing the Nocturne to collide into him. But Two stood stolid as Demyx rubbed his bruised nose.

"Hey, what did you--"

"The men in black seek the creatures in black, yet do not know of any tracks to follow," came a voice from overhead.

Demyx looked up into the treetops to see a small figure perched in them. To him it looked like a magenta-and-violet-striped cat with a big silly grin on his face, but that was ridiculous. Cats don't smile, let alone grin.

The thing spoke again, in the same mocking tone.

"Look everywhere, and find nothing, but look nowhere and find everything. Such is the way of Wonderland."

"Look, I don't know what the Hell you're sayin' but we're just here to look for some of those 'creatures in black' or whatever you were talking about earlier. Just give us a straight-forward answer and I won't be forced to shoot you," Xigbar called up into the trees with just as mocking a tone as the "cat."

"They should come to you, ready or not, when they feel they want. Which should be soon, seeing as the forest darkens deeply with each passing moment," the cat answered, resting his paws under his chin.

Maybe Demyx was going crazy. That cat was RESTING his PAWS under his CHIN. Cats couldn't do that, as far as he was concerned in cat-matters.

"Fine, whatever. Nocturne, keep moving," Xigbar said casually, looking over his shoulder to Demyx as he began walking again.

Demyx followed closely, and peered up into the trees to see the cat dissipating into the darkness.

"Xigbar, he's right, it's really starting to get dark," Demyx murmured, his voice wavering slightly.

"And this concerns you... why? I didn't think that a Nobody could be such a pansy about the dark," Xigbar countered, moving forward into the dark woods fearlessly.

"I'm NOT being a pansy!" Demyx shouted, even though the word "pansy" was number twelve in his list "Favorite Words."

Xigbar stopped, causing Demyx to run into him again. He spun around, stuck his nose into Demyx's face, and stared down at Nine with a fierce glare.

"Listen, ever since this mission started, you've done nothing but pestered me. First, you grab onto my arm like you're about to die if you don't, then you

freak out about lions or some crap, then you run into me. TWICE. And it's because you INSIST on walking so damn close to me. So, in conclusion, WHAT the Hell is your problem?!"

"WELL, if you really WANT to know--"

Suddenly, the leaves of the bushes shook as large figures trampled them under and surrounded the two bickering Organization members.

Xigbar whirled around so his back went to Demyx, putting himself in a defensive battle-stance. Demyx, on the other hand, was almost too stunned about what he was about to say to do anything defensive or otherwise.

"You're under arrest!! You are hereby sentenced to questioning by the Queen of Hearts under the suspicion of attempted theft," one of the figures bellowed, holding a spear to Xigbar's face threateningly.

But Two's face contorted in anger, and his twin katar-guns appeared in his hands. The figure's spear came in closer, and the Nocturne, gaining back some of his numb thoughts, feared a fight may break out.

"Xigbar, don't! They might give us some clues to where the Heartless are..." Demyx whispered to the Freeshooter, laying a hand on his shoulder.

And at that moment, Two actually hesitated. The guns disappeared, to Demyx's relief. More like to Demyx's SURPRISE.

As more senses came back, Demyx realized that these figures were actually giant CARDS. CARDS!! Now suddenly the talking cat made a little more sense.

The two were escorted to this grand rose garden, filled with red-painted roses. Demyx could easily tell that they were painted. He could see some of the original white showing through. Obviously a sloppy job on the painter's part.

"To the stand," said a six of spades, prodding Demyx in the back slightly with the tip of his javelin.

"Ow, that hurt!" Nine complained. But he did as he was told, so as not to get any more jabbings or stabbings. This guy was almost as bad as Xaldin, sheesh.

Demyx stood in the mahogany box-like stand, where he looked up to a gigantic stand where the judge would be. To his right, he saw a jury made up of frogs, lizards, birds, and other such creatures that he wouldn't count as a jury, at least under normal circumstances. Man, did Xemnas pick one loopy place for a mission or what?

"Ahem, court is now in session!!" called out the gravelly voice of a white rabbit to Demyx's left, who then took a deep breath and blew on a golden trumpet in his furry little paw.

"Presenting... the Queen of Hearts!!" he continued with royal grandeur.

Up the aisle at the back of the court-garden, the Queen emerged from behind a rose-bush. Demyx had expected some sort of a radiant queen to be honored the title of "Queen of Hearts," but he didn't exactly get what he was expecting. This queen had a double-chin and a bad weight-issue.

The Queen took her seat at the judge's stand.

"So, this is the accused?" she questioned the rabbit, her eyes looking over Nine curiously, which made him feel a little bad about thinking she was a tubby. He was always afraid people would look at him and just magically KNOW his secrets... It was part of the reason he never looked at anyone in the Organization

straight in the face. Well, except for--

"WHY, this child is definitely NOT the crook. He's far too scrawny!" the Queen bellowed, hiding her joyous grin behind a heart-shaped wand.

"Hey, I'm not--!!" Demyx began to whine, but was pulled off the stand by a pack of diamonds.

Meanwhile, the Freeshooter had been patiently awaiting his time to take the stand. As Demyx passed by, he whispered, "Lil' dude, lemme handle this," with a quick wink.

Nine blushed, but was pulled beside the badly-painted rose bush before Two could notice. Thankfully.

Several clubs pushed Xigbar onto the stand, and suddenly the Queen began shouting, "THAT'S HIM!! He MUST be the one!! OFF WITH HIS--"

"Whoa whoa, crazy lady. Now, what is it that I'm being accused of exactly...?" Xigbar asked smugly, resting his elbows on the rail of the stand casually.

The Queen of Hearts turned fifty shades of red before screeching, "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!! OFF WITH BOTH THEIR HEADS!!"

Suddenly, the cards were tumbling all around Xigbar, and Demyx barely caught a glimpse of him before he was swallowed by a wave of white, red, and black.

Not a moment later, blasts of his katar-guns were heard, scattering the cards every-which way.

"C'mon, Nocturne, show me what you're made of!!" Two called over to Demyx as red missiles shot out in what seemed miscellaneous directions, but hit every single marked target.

This was it.

His time to shine.

Focusing all his powers to his hands, he raised them into the air and a stream of water shot out, and there his sitar formed, which he brought down with all his strength on an on-coming spade.

"Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" Xigbar yelled over the Queen's shrieking voice, thoroughly impressed by Demyx's quick movements.

Feeling a surge of pride, the Nocturne caused giant pillars of water to spring up from the ground like geysers, and the poor cards would fly up then fall back to the ground, sopping wet and utterly defeated.

There was not a flaw in their fight; not a scratch came to either of them. Suddenly, Demyx felt that they had become a team through this little scuffle... a team he wanted to be the second part to for the rest of his little Nobody life.

Then, as the last card fell, the Queen retreated back behind the rose bushes, followed closely by a half-heartedly scolding rabbit.

"Yeah, you BETTER RUN!!" Xigbar yelled, running forward and preparing to fire another wave of shots.

"Xigbar, I think she's learned her lesson," Demyx said quietly, placing a hand on Two's shoulder before he got too far ahead.

The Freeshooter sighed.

"Guess you're right. Maybe it's time to move on."

So, they made their way out of the garden and moved on to a field, which looked as if it ended at a small crimson door.

As they made their way to the door, Nine started up a bit of conversation. Not so much a fear as just a weakness, Demyx never liked to walk in silence. It was always so... SILENT.

"So... you were really impressed?"

"IMPRESSED? Man, Nocturne, you kicked some major ASS back there," Xigbar answered, cuffing Demyx lightly in the arm.

Of course, Nine hid a bit of a blush. What could he say? He was a modest kind of guy; there was no way he was about to be all goofy about it.

As they reached the door, Xigbar, being the bold Nobody that he was, opened it up to a wide expanse.

"Wow. Now THAT'S one big kitchen," he said, whistling as he entered the room.

Demyx followed, equally impressed by the marvelous expanse. He no longer felt he was his normal size, though. He felt much more like an ant than before.

Man, this place WAS screwy.

The two walked out farther and looked up on of the sycamore-like legs of a white table. Demyx could see at its top two bottles, one with a blue label, the other with a red-orange label. The writing on both was the same, though. "DRINK."

"You think maybe we should get up there and do what those bottles say?" Demyx asked.

But when he looked over to where Xigbar should've been, he, well, WASN'T.

"Two? Xigbar?! Where are you?!" Demyx whimpered, beginning to panic.

Yet another fear.

"Being alone."

"Yo, Nocturne!! Up here!!"

Demyx looked up to see Xigbar waving down to him smugly from the top of the table.

"Heads up!" he called down.

"Wha--?"

Suddenly, the bottles began sliding toward the edge, simultaneously toppling over straight toward Demyx.

"HOLY--!!" Demyx interjected, rolling out of the way as the bottles clamored to the ground loudly.

Xigbar was at his side again, looking down on him, rolling his eye.

"You're such a pansy."

"Ugh, am NOT!!" called Nine upward to Two, who had begun examining the two bottles.

"So..." Demyx got up and joined Xigbar, examining with him, "what are these for?"

"Pfft, isn't it obvious? One is to grow, the other is to shrink. Didn't anybody teach you AYTHING?" Xigbar said with that usual know-it-all tone.

"Well, yeah!! I know lots of stuff..." Demyx countered weakly, then changed the subject from his lack of knowledge. "So, which is which?"

Xigbar had already run over to the blue-labeled bottle and shot a projectile into in, making a small hole from which a bluish liquid flowed.

"This one'll make us bigger, of course."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Demyx sighed. He pretended to be put off, but really, he was anything but. He was so enamored by that confidence-- it floored him to think that some of it, if only just a tiny fraction, might be placed in him.

But before either could take any kind of sip, there came a rumbling in the floor.

Of course, Xigbar took it all in stride, but Demyx was already into full-on panic-mode.

"Xigbar, what's going on?! Are we gonna be squished by evil beanstalk dwellers?! OH GOD, IT'S GONNA BE A L--"

But before Nine could finish his sentence, a large and dark thing rose up from the floor, towering over them both. Its figure loomed only a moment before it began to change, taking on an almost human-like form. It sprouted long, jagged, clawed arms from the top and fierce, powerful legs from the bottom. It remained thin and lank, though, like a tall black pillar, and it pulled from an insignia on its chest what appeared to be a scythe with an elongated blade decorated with the four card symbols: a heart, a spade, a diamond, and a club. Its head sprouted two separate branches, making it look like it was wearing a jester's hat of some kind. And it opened its eyes.

Those eyes were unmistakable.

That insignia was easily identified.

"Heartless," Xigbar whispered, his guns already in his hands. Already, he had stepped forward and taken the initiative to begin the quarrel.

Demyx was shaking, though. He had never come up against such a large or massive creature. He knew how to handle itty-bitty Shadows and Soldiers and what-not, but when it came to the big boys, he faltered. It was even on his list.

"Big Heartless."

"Y--You think this is what Xemnas told us to exterminate…?" Demyx asked haltingly, bringing his sitar into his hands, though not as strongly as before.

"Damn straight, it's gotta be!" Xigbar yelled, getting riled up in the heat of the battle.

Suddenly, Xigbar had charged forward and disappeared, teleporting into the air to take a few quick shots at the Heartless' eyes before disappearing again to take a few shots elsewhere.

Obviously, the Jester was in no mood to deal with this insignificant little pest, and began to swing its scythe in a wide arc.

Demyx was rooted to the spot. He wasn't brave, like Xigbar. He wasn't courageous, like Xigbar. He wasn't confident and always ready for a good challenge, like Xigbar.

Simply put: He was just Demyx.

"Geez, Nocturne, you just gonna hang out while I kick this thing's ass…?" came Xigbar's cocky voice above the swift "shing" of the scythe blade.

Why not…? He wouldn't do Xigbar much good anyway.

Suddenly, the blade found its mark on Xigbar, and Two fell from the sky like a bird realizing it has had a heart-attack.

"XIGBAR!!" Demyx screamed, suddenly finding his legs to run toward his fallen companion.

"Damn, kid, you pick the worst times to decide to help…" Xigbar murmured as Demyx kneeled beside the Freeshooter.

"Are you… hurt…?" Nine asked, the word seeming almost foreign to him. In all his career as Number Nine, as the Melodious Nocturne, not once had he seen Xigbar defeated. To him, he was a legend. To him, he was unbeatable. Seeing that large wound in his chest broke his heart.

At least, the heart he FELT was breaking.

"Beat him, lil' dude. This scratch isn't a big deal-- just take that damn thing out…"

Demyx stood, though wearily, and watched as Xigbar reclined his head back and rested. He was almost afraid he might be dead, and there that little fear resurfaced, and suddenly he felt his hopes fading.

But then he remembered one thing, and his chest, maybe even his heart, swelled.

"Confidence," he whispered, beginning to run forward slowly toward the massive Heartless that waited with a raised scythe and malevolent glowing golden eyes.

Big or not, Xigbar had asked for his help. Maybe not very nicely, but still… He NEEDED him. And he was NOT about to disappoint THE Freeshooter.

Perhaps the most cunning of moves never come from careful thinking. Perhaps they all come from desperation and helpless luck. But when Demyx charged forward, reeled back with his sitar, and banged that Jester in the knees, it toppled over and onto the floor, its top-heavy head smacking the ground with a sickening "thud." If that thing had had a brain, it would have spewed all over the floor and exploded against the walls.

The Heartless then began to evaporate, its black form wavering against the pastel tile floor until it was no more than a floating heart in the sky.

Demyx kept looking up at where the heart had dissipated, and smiled proudly. Things were going so perfectly now…

"'Xigbar is cunning, sly, confident, a great fighter with an interesting voice and… nice body…?'" came Xigbar's voice from behind him.

Demyx's eyes widened. Panic-time.

"Geez, Nocturne, is this paper about someone who stole my name, or could it be--"

"Gimme that!!" Demyx growled, angrily snatching away the list… the one list all about Xigbar that he just KNEW he shouldn't carry around with him all the time. Of all the times to fall out of his pocket…

"I thought you were injured?!" Demyx asked, trying to hide his total and humiliating embarrassment behind an angry front.

"Listen, Nocturne, we're NOBODIES. The normal rules of human

physiology don't exactly apply to us," Xigbar shrugged.

"Physiology." Number eight of Demyx's favorite words.

"So, what exactly IS that?" Xigbar tried to prod into the meaning of the list again.

Come clean. It will hurt SO MUCH less…

"This is a list about you, Xigbar. I wrote it. It's all about YOU. And I KNOW that you don't like me, and that you probably hate my guts now, and that you'll never ever want to see and-or hear about me again, but I just decided that now would be the best time to--"

At that moment, Demyx didn't think Xigbar needed any kind of explanation.

Demyx had never been kissed before, let alone by THE Freeshooter. The kiss was surprisingly, but wonderfully, soft and loving.

It was almost as if they had never even been Nobodies… like they had hearts the whole time.

Xigbar pulled back, giving Demyx a snide glare.

"It's about time you kept that mouth of yours shut."

"But I thought I was the only one who thought we had hearts…?"

"Hmph, it was just a kiss, lil' dude. I'm thinking you're reading way too much into this," Xigbar replied, though it dripped with sarcasm.

…Which Demyx took as a good sign.

"I think that's about it, Nocturne. So, let's head on back. And," Xigbar leaned in again, kissing Demyx lightly on the lips once more, "let's keep this between us, mm-kay?"

Demyx nodded stupidly, looking into that one golden eye with which he had become so obsessed.

As they headed back through the Corridors of Darkness, it suddenly didn't seem so dark. Even though he knew it would end eventually, holding Xigbar's hand in that deep and seemingly never-ending tunnel gave him confidence.

* * *

**AN: Again, REVIEW!! But don't flame. That's just totally unnecessary. Hope it was worth the time to read!**


End file.
